Belvedere School Parents Urge EMF Emission Testing Amid Health Concerns

On March 19, representatives of the parents from Belvedere Elementary School, Istituto Comprensivo I, submitted an urgent request to the municipal administration for the measurement of emissions from the power line crossing the school area. The mayor took action and requested the intervention of ARPA.

Concerns about health and requested measurements

News from scientific studies indicating a possible correlation between electromagnetic fields and the development of leukemia had raised concerns, which the recent incident at Radio Vaticana further contributed to. Mayor Sigurtà announced in a statement that on March 29 he had requested the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection (ARPA) of Mantova to conduct checks on the high-voltage line emissions overhead the Belvedere Elementary School and the television and cell phone signal antennas located at the top of the hill.

ARPA, established by regional law no. 161 of July 6, 1999, has responsibilities related to environmental monitoring. Article 5 of the founding law states, in paragraph B, “controls of physical, chemical, and biological factors of noise pollution, air, water, soil, and subsoil.”

Actions and concerns of the teachers

The school itself had previously addressed the issue: teachers raised the problem as early as October, and the principal, Baronio, responded by requesting clarifications from the municipal technical office. Subsequently, a petition was initiated by the parents.

Raffaella Bolzoni, a parent representative, states: “It is not our intention to create unnecessary alarm, but we believe it is our right, given a situation that causes concern throughout Italy, to have reliable data to assess. We hope that ARPA’s intervention will be prompt and will clarify the situation.”